Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

thomond2006 wrote: »

Paddy Butler has been given a development contract: http://www.munsterrugby.ie/news/7590.php

theKramer wrote: »

His profile says hes 97Kg, which is very light for an 8. He'll probably have to put on another 7 - 10KG to be competitive in the ML.

paryan wrote: »

whats his club

theKramer wrote: »

Id say post WC, we'll see Leamy at 6, Butler at 8, and someone else at 7 (probably Ryan) at some stage in Magners League games...

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Makes sense, it's about 10 or so years since the Munster team really got going in Europe, all the kids who started following rugby then would be playing senior cup around now. It's also interesting that a lot of the best talent is coming from non-traditional rugby areas, three Kerrymen in the Academy, good few Tipperary lads, etc. Hopefully we're about to see the break-through of a new generation of talent.

Mail on Sunday: I'M NOT GIVING UP THE FIGHT YET
By Liam Heagney

PETER STRINGER'S fine career isn't quite what it used to be. Thirty-
three next December, he's no longer the automatic first- choice scrum-
half for Ireland and Munster. His Test career has stalled. He hasn't
featured in a year. And it's a similar tale of inactivity at Munster.
Heineken Cup starts are rare - but he hasn't been forgotten.

Despite not seeing that much of Stringer this season, Declan Kidney
still wants a piece. Of the original squad chosen for Ireland's June
series, only Rory Best and Jerry Flannery had seen less action.
However, while they can point to serious injury (and suspension in
Flannery's case) as reasons for limited use, Stringer has largely been
left straining at the leash on the sidelines, craving exposure.

'I want to be playing all the time. It's something I still have a
massive appetite for, both for Munster and Ireland,' he says, adding
that on the days after provincial games in which he only gets 10 or so
minutes off the bench, you'll find him doing fitness work or in the
gym when those who started have time off.

'It's something I still have in my sights - I want to be back playing
regularly where I was before. I'm as fit as I have ever been and I try
to keep that sharpness so that when I do get to play a game I'm ready
to go.' Life changed remarkably for scrum-half Stringer on that
infamous 2007 night in Bordeaux.

He threw the intercept pass that handed Georgia their try and left the
minnows within a whisker of causing the greatest World Cup upset ever.
Despite years of planning for that finals campaign, he was dramatically dropped by Eddie O'Sullivan who gave an inexperienced Eoin Reddan only his second Ireland start the following week against
France.

THAT was September and if Stringer thought he'd at least have Munster
to fall back on, he was mistaken. That previously blissful
relationship was also to take a dramatic turn for the worse, Kidney
handing the jersey to Tomas O'Leary for a European quarter-final at
Gloucester.

Coping with all the sudden upheaval can't have been easy. Stringer,
though, had no option but to get on with it. Sympathy is scarce in the
dressing room. 'I wouldn't have seen them [the omissions] coming,' he
admits.

'It's a while ago now but it has been difficult. The last couple of
seasons have been tough. It was a massive shock at the start, having
played so often and regularly. But I have put that behind me. I've
adapted without becoming comfortable.

'You have no option but to just get on with things. No squad is going
to wait. Things move on. If you wallow in self-pity you'll certainly
be left behind. You've no option but to get your head up and start
working even harder than before.

'Ask anyone who sits on a bench, it's not an easy thing to do. You
watch the game and see if you do get a run where you can make a
difference. You're looking at it from a different perspective and it's
tough, but when you do get an opportunity you try and make the most of
it.

'At times you come on and feel you've to get everything spot on.
You've to try and fit everything into 10 minutes and impress, which
sometimes doesn't work, but more often you try and make an impact as
best you can, make a difference for whatever length of time you do get
on. 'On the sideline you become a lot more tuned into where space is
because on the pitch that's the tough part - trying to do it under
pressure, trying to do it when you're making calls and in the heat of
the battle. When I'm on the bench I make use of every second.

'If there's anything you can add at half-time that will make it easier
for guys, you speak up and make yourself heard. There may be room for
improvement, identifying where space may be, so you bring that to the
game to make a difference.

'It has been difficult not starting but I have got my head around it
without being too comfortable. I still want to get back to where I
was.' THAT'S not to say there haven't been highlights since his world
was turned upside down. He had a massive role in Ireland's Grand Slam,
setting up a crucial try for Jamie Heaslip in Scotland and then giving
Ronan O'Gara that pass to fire over the clinching drop goal in Wales a
week later. And no one can forget Stringer's ballsy effort in nearly
inspiring a weakened Munster to beat the touring All Blacks in 2008.
'It's nice because they are reminders.

When you find yourself not playing as regularly as you'd like, there
are sometimes doubts in your head and reminders like that - and
previous achievements - come to the fore and really drive you home.

'My motivation certainly hasn't faded or diminished in any respect. If
anything, it's driven me harder to get back to where I was because I
look after my health and fitness.

'Everything like that isn't an issue.

Mentally when guys get older the question of when to call it a day may
creep in but there are a good few years left in me yet. I feel that
physically and mentally. It's something I'm looking forward to - to
giving it a go and getting back to where I was.' His belief that this
aim is feasible is illustrated in his decision to sign for two more
years with Munster. Out of contract at the end of this season, he
could have decided enough was enough and opted to chase more regular
game-time elsewhere.

He is one of the players to lose out in the IRFU's reduction of
national team contracts to 21 and was in demand abroad, but he has chosen to keep fighting his battle for greater recognition from home in Cork, the long-term ambition being to make Kidney's 2011 World Cup squad.

'I've signed on, so that's that. I'm happy. Contract negotiations are
a stressful time. You're trying to sort out your life but now that
it's done it's just a matter of getting on with it and looking forward
to the next two years - and hopefully more after it.

'It's great to have signed again...

and it's a massive goal to get back to a World Cup. I'd love to be
part of it. I'll keep striving for those little goals, keep working
hard. If they come about, brilliant.' Sounds like he's keen to
impress.

Peter Stringer -before and after Played 79 of 88 Ireland matches on
making his Test debut in 2000 (75 as the starting No9) He then earned
just 12 caps since his dramatic axing from the team at the 2007 World
Mail on Sunday: I'M NOT GIVING UP THE FIGHT YET ; Stringer looks to shine after signing 91) ™
Cup, just four of them starts, the last a year ago against USA
Featured in 74 out of a possible 77 Heineken Cup games for Munster (73
appearances as a starter) Has started just two of Munster's 19
European games since his surprise omission for 2008 quarter-final at
Gloucester, making do with nine other runs off the bench

Originally published by By Liam Heagney.

(c) 2010 Mail on Sunday; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC.